


Friendship under the falling stars

by orphan_account



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Constellations, Gen, Non-Binary Hange Zoë, meteor showers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-16
Updated: 2014-10-16
Packaged: 2018-02-21 10:48:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2465492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After losing Sonny and Bean, Hanji takes a moment to recuperate on the grass.<br/>They don't expect for an entire new friendship to be born.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friendship under the falling stars

With the sky devoid of clouds, from the small clearing on the castle grounds, the stars shone down, outreaching to a lone figure in the grass. Their eyes reflected the light from above in a watery mist, the hazelnut orbs producing tears of miniature galaxies. It was mid-November. A fierce chill in the air was irrelevant to the person on the grass, even as their body trembled and shivered under the threat of winter. A fog of condensation was born through a heavy sigh. The figure drew their scouting legion jacket tighter around them, but it did nothing to defend against the cold. All of a sudden, a standard-issue blanket was draped over their shoulders. Beautiful brown eyes blinked, squeezing out tears, as a darker brown ponytail swished to the side.

"You looked cold, Squad Leader Hanji." It took them a minute to recognise the new recruit. Short, male, buzzcut, and a confident yet comforting smile.

"Oh, you’re one of Eren’s friends, right?" Eyes of scorched copper turned to the sky as the boy seated himself next to Hanji.

"Yeah! The name’s Springer, Connie Springer~." His attempt to sound cool had the corners of Hanji’s lips twitch upwards in amusement, and they returned their own gaze to the twinkling stars above. For some reason, they felt more relaxed, as if perhaps company had been what they needed all along. A glimpse of Connie revealed he was lying on his back, arms folded behind his head as he grinned up to the endless universe. All of a sudden, the sky seemed to come to life, the stars began dancing, falling. Hanji gasped in awe.

"You look like you’ve never seen a meteor shower before!"

"I- I haven’t… The bright lights at Central in Sina usually blind out even the brightest stars…"

"Really? That sucks… I used to watch the Leonid showers with my family every year!" Hanji turned their attention back to Connie, whom was still watching the stars dance above them with a soft smile. Laying back beside him, Hanji noted the boy was surprisingly shorter than Levi.

"You’re from Dauper, right?" A pure, bright laugh, just as any child’s should be.

"Nah! That’s my best friend, Sasha~. I’m from Rangako."

"… Whoopsie~."

"S’cool~. Even the guys from training still get it wrong, seeing as they’re both pretty isolated villages. But that’s a good thing in the sense that the night sky is always visible." Hanji felt a smile ease its way back to her face.

"So you can point out all the constellations?"

"Know ‘em off by heart!" A cocky grin, from one so young.

"Alright, let’s test that! Show me… Ursa Major!"

"The plough? Easy! See those four stars there?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Join them up and then… Follow the tail back here~." Hanji’s gorgeous eyes lit up, not with stars reflected in tears, but with joy at the discovery.

"What about Cygnus!?"

"You really like constellations, huh?"

"Well… There are legends going back a long, long time… Even before the construction of the walls… Of travellers and warriors guided by the stars and constellations, using them as a compass, and a clock for annual events such as harvest and sacrifices. Not only would it be useful for on expeditions during the night time, but what if Titans use it too?"

"Huh?"

"During experimentation, the Titans we had captured became confused when exposed to constant light. It could be possible that they use a constellation, or all of them, for direction. The abnormals at least. It could explain why we observe waves of inactivity during certain months." By now, Connie was sitting up and intently listening to Hanji’s theory, trying to work it out in his head.

"You mean like, follow a single constellation?"

"Exactly! Well, until they detect a large gathering of humans."

"That’s… Pretty weird." Hanji laughed as they looked back up at the glowing orbs in the sky.

"Weird is my game~!"

"Pffft! Eren described you as unique and lively!"

"Well that too, I guess~. Hey, hey! What about Delphinus?!"

"Delphinus? Oh, that’ll be on the other side of the castle, looking south."

"Hmm…. Auriga?"

"Ah, see that really bright star there?" He pointed, and Hanji closed one eye to squint, following the invisible line to a particularly bright star.

"Is that Capella?"

"That’s it~."

"So those six others around it make up Auriga?"

"Yup! You’re good at this, for a city dweller~." Another light laugh escaped Hanji, melodic in nature, soft in sound.

"I read a lot of scripture. Gotta find support for my theory to get it funded!"

"In that case, the next time a Titan tries to eat me, I’ll be sure to tell you which constellations are close!" The duo laughed at the dark humour.

"Oh my gosh Springer. You’re a complete _riot_ ~!”

"Alone, yeah, but wait until you meet Sash and I together! Me ‘n’ her, we really stir things up, make ‘em fun, y’know? Sometimes laughter is the best medicine, or distraction." Hanji understood perfectly. They understood the need to keep everyone else sane. To give others a shred of courage, of confidence. To allow them the happiness that this route of life denied. It was a matter of offering hope.

"I know, kid, I know." A light sigh. The stars above had stopped dancing.

"That’s the Leonid meteor shower over for another year~. Guess I’d better get back to bed before Corporal Levi does dorm checks."

"Sure~. Night Springer!" The blanket he had draped over Hanji’s shoulders was passed back, and he received it with a grateful grin.

"Night Squad Leader!" Just as the boy was about to re-enter the castle through a small back door, Hanji felt a surge of confidence.

"Yo Springer~!" He paused and looked back.

"Next year, you bring all your friends, and I’ll bring all mine! We’ll watch the constellations and meteors together!" Connie laughed in agreement.

"Sure! If we’re still alive!" Such a sour thing to add on, but how necessary. There was no guarantee any of those kids would still be breathing next year. Especially with the 57th expedition coming up. With a final wave, Connie disappeared into the castle, and Hanji was left on their lonesome to once again grieve the loss of Sonny and Bean. It was like losing two children, in Hanji’s logic. But then, whilst they had lost two, they had gained so many more. The new recruits would need guidance, after all… And maybe they could help Hanji capture some new ‘experiments’~…

The stars twinkled, lighting up the sky and illuminating the person sleeping the clearing below.


End file.
